Refrigeration apparatus



June 9, 1942. vT. w. RUNDELL v 2,?85,945l

REFRIGERATION .ZLPPRATUS` Filed sept. zo; 1959 J 2 sheets-sheet 1 WITNESSES: INVENTOR -eua L 19H 77-/eoooef Hf QUA/DELL L5 N v v ATToR Y T. W. RUNDELL REFRIGERATION APPARATUS `lune 9, 1942.

Filed Sept. 20, 1939 lNVENTOR THEODo/ze H. QUA/DELL wlTNi-:sses:

ATToRNg/w the accompanying drawings forming a part Patented June 9,

UNITED STAT l BEFIRIGERATION APPARATUS Theodore W. Blundell, Indianapolis, Ind., assigner to Westinghouse Electric as Mann! Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of 'Pennsylvania v Application September 20, i939, Serial No. 295,710

My invention relates to refrigeration apparatus and particularly to an improved high humidity refrigerator for the storage of foods.

It is an object of my invention to construct a high humidity refrigerator so that substantially the same condensing unit may be used both for high humidity refrigerators and for conventional refrigerators wherein the cooling element or evaporator is directly exposed to the air in the food storage compartment.

It is another object of my invention to provide an improved and novel path for the flow of air in a high humidity refrigerator.

It', is a further object ofv my invention to provide a novel and improved cabinet construction for a high humidity refrigerator and to provide stricting device to control the flow of refrigerant from the condenser I1 to the evaporator I9. A discharge conduit 23 connects the motor-compressor unit I6 to the condenser I1 andconveys for ease of mounting the condensing unit in the refrigerator cabinet without disturbing the refrigerant connections. I

It is also an objectof my invention to so construct a high humidity refrigerator that the temperature of theair in the food storage compartment is relatively low and the relative humidity invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a refrigerator embodying my invention taken on line I-I of Fig. 2;

Fig.` 2 is a sectional view of the refrigerator taken on line II--II of Fig. 1; andv Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of the refrigerator with the evaporator, rear wall of the evaporator enclosing casing and the inner liner of the refrigerator cabinet removed. Referring specifically to the drawings for a detailed description of the invention, numeral II designates, generally, a refrigerator cabinet comprising an insulated compartment I2 having an access door I3, and a machinery compartment I4.

condensing unit of the compression type' including a hermetically-sealed motor-compressor unit I6, a condenser I1, a fan I9 for cooling the motorcompressor unit and condenser and a U-shaped having imperforate walls 20. Suction gas and liquid-conveying conduits 2I and 22, respectively, connect the evaporator I9 with the motor-cornpressorA unit I6 and the condenser I1, the liquidconveying conduit 22 preferably being a tube of small internal diameter and serving as the re- ,tion is, therefore, unnecessary.v

In accordance with my invention, the refrigerator cabinet comprises an outer shell 24, preferably formed of sheet metal and an intermediate shell 25, preferably formed of a heat insulating material, for example, -stainless-steel, chrome iron or one of those known by the trade-marked names of Micarta" or Fiberboardfl with heat insulation 26 disposed between the shells 24 and 25. A third shell or inner liner 21, preferably formed of a'metal or some other material which is a good heat conductor, is inserted within the intermediate shell 25 and is supported in spaced relation therefrom by insulating blocks 28, thus forming a duct space 29 around five sides of the liner 21. The three shells 24, 25 and 21 are open at the front to afford access to the compartment I2 and door I3 closes the accessl opening. Breaker strips 3|v extend between the outer shell 24 and the liner 21 to seal the insulation 28 between Numeral I5 designates generally a refrigerant ,sheet metal evaporator or cooling element I9,

shells 24 and 25 and to seal the duct space 29 between shell 25 and liner 21.

An opening 32, for the insertion and removal of the evaporator I9 and'other apparatus torbe presently described, is provided in the rear of the cabinet. 'I'he opening 32` is closed by a heatinsulated plug or closure 33 through which the suction and liquid conduits 2| and 22 extend in their passage to the evaporator I9. The closure 33 a1so' supports a fan 34 preferably of the cen-- trifugal type, a motor 35 for driving the fan,

evaporator I9 and divides the compartment I2' into a food storage compartment 4I and a freezing compartment 42. The enclosing casing 39 comprises a U-shaped sheet metal housing surrounding the bottom and sides of the evaporator A I9 and attached to the top of the liner 21 by sheet metal screws 43. The front Vof the enclosing casing 39 is formed by a hinged door 44 affording laccess to the interior of the freezing compartment 42, so that, ice trays (not shown) which are usually supported by refrigerated surfaces ofthe evaporator I9, may be readily inserted and removed- 'I'he rear portion 45 of the liner 21 is also provided with an opening 46 registering with opening 32 in shells 24 and 25. A panel 41 of such size that it will pass through opening 32 closes opening 446 in portion 45 of liner 21, thus forming with the liner 21, the rear of the enclosing casing 39. The top of the enclosing casing 39 is formed by the top of the liner 21.

The panel 41 is provided with an inlet aperture 48 in registry with inlet chamber 49 of the fan 34, which aperture communicates with the interior of the imperforate U-shaped evaporator I9. A partition wall 5I extends across the top of the U-'shaped evaporator,` thus forming a generally cylindrical chamber 50. The panel 41 and liner 21 are also provided with apertures 52 at the top, bottom and sides of the exterior of the imperforate walls of the evaporator I9.

A horizontal baille 53 and vertical bailles 54 are disposed in the duct or space 29. Horizontal baille 53 is in back of the liner 21 and, although formed separately, connects with the outlet 31 of the 'fan 34 and with the vertical ballies 54. The vertical bailies 54 are also disposed inback of liner 21 near the sides thereof and extend substantially from the bottom to the top of liner 21. I

The circulation of air through the cabinet to cool the food storage compartment and to` maintain a low temperature and high humidity therein is as follows, the arrows in Figs. 1 and 2 illustrating the path of the air. Cold air from the fan 34 is discharged through the fan outlet 31 and is directedv by bailles 53' and 54 down the duct space 29 atthe rear of the liner 21 below horizontal baille 53- and forwardly toward door I3 in the duct space 29 at the bottom of the liner 21. The air then circulates up both sides` of the liner 21 throughduct space 29 and is directed to the top of the liner 21 by the vertical baffles 54. Air then passes through the duct space 29 over .the top and down the back of liner 21 as far as horizontal baille 53. The air enters the apertures 52 on the outside of the imperforate evaporator I9 and travels forwardly to the front of evaporator I9, the airbeing cooled as it passes over the exterior of the evaporator walls. 'I'he air then travels back inside the evaporator chamber 50 and is further cooled as it passes over the interior of the evaporator walls. The air then enters the fan inlet aperture 43 and the inlet chamber 49 of the fan 34 and is again discharged through fan outlet 31.

From the foregoing description, it is clearv that the -air which comes into contact with the evaporator I9, and is dehumidied thereby, never enunit I8. thethermal responsive element of 'the control which initiates operation of the unit I5 being disposed in the high humidity compartment 4I.

In assembly of the condensing unit into the cabinet` II, the motor-compressor unit I5, condenser I1 and fan I9 are inserted into the machinery .compartment I4 through an aperture 55 at the rear thereof. The evaporator I9 and panel 41 are inserted through apertures 32 and 45 in the rear of the cabinet and the evaporator is attached to liner 21 by the bolts 38. The fan 34, fan casing and fan discharge passage 31, areattached to the insulated plug 33 and are inserted through the aperture 32. The U-shaped shroud 39 and door 44 are then attached to the liner 21 by screws 43, thus completing the assembly.

From the foregoing .it will be apparent that a condensing unit I5 such as used in conventional low humidity refrigerators maybe utilized to construct a high humidity refrigerator and that the condensing unit may be assembled to or removed from the refrigerator cabinet II without disturbing any refrigerant connections. If necessary, the condensing units I5 may be manufactured in one location-and then be shipped and assembled in the cabinets. Furthermore, I have i provided improved air circulation and cooling for maintaining a high relative humidity and a low temperature in a refrigerator cabinet.A

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that lt is not so limited, but is susceptible of varand means for circulating refrigerant through ters the food storagecompartment 4I, but cools all the walls of the food compartment liner 21 so that food compartment 4I is' cooled by conduction of heat through extended refrigeratedv surfaces. The air inthe food compartment v4I is, therefore, maintained at a high relative humidity of approximately while the air temperature therein is just slightly higher than the air passing ough the duct 29.

A temperature control device such as shown in the application of R. E. Tobey, Serial No. 228,072,

' 4 med september 2, 193s, new Patent No. 2,192,850,

dated March 5, 1940, and assigned to the assignee of the present application, may beprovided for controlling operation of the motor-compressor the cooling element, a refrigerator cabinet including a liner formed to impose but slight impedance to heat'flow and having top, bottom,A side and rear walls forming a -food sorage compartment, means for substantially isolating the cooling element from the food storage compart-A ment, a shell surrounding the liner and forming a duct system therewith, air circulating means for forcing air through said duct system in `contact with said cooling element to cool the food storage compartment by conduction of heat through said, liner, said duct system being so arranged that as air leaves the cooling element it is conveyed in contact with the liner while pass- `ing down the back, forwardly under the bottom, up both sides, and over the top of the food liner, whereupon it again contacts the cooling element, said cooling element and duct system being so formed that air passing over the cooling element is conveyed first over the outside surfaces of the Acooling element and then over vthe inside surfaces ofthe cooling element tothe air circulating means. A

2. In refrigeration apparatus, the combina tion of a refr'gerating unit including a cooling element and means for circulating refrigerant through the cooling element, refrigerant conduit connections between the cooling element and the circulating means, a refrigerator` cabinet including a liner formedvto impose but slight impedance to heat now and having top, bottom, side and rear walls forming a food storage compartment, means for substantially. isolating the cooling element from the food storage compartment, a shell surrounding the liner and forming a duct system. air circulating means for forcing air through said duct system and in contact with said cooling element to cool the food storage compartment by conduction of heat through said liner, said duct systembeing so arranged that asv air leaves the cooling element it is conveyed in contact with the linerv while passing down the back, forwardly under the bottom, up both sides.

and over the top of the food liner, whereupon it again contacts the cooling element, said cooling element, air circulating means and a portion of said duct system constituting an assembly which is removable as a unit from the rear of the refrigerator cabinet without disturbing the lrefrigerant connections between the cooling eleing element from the food storage compartment,

a shell lsurrounding the liner and forming a duct system therewith, air circulating means for torcing air through said duct system and in contact with said cooling element to cool the food storage compartment by conduction of' heat through said liner, said duct system being so arranged that as air leaves the cooling element it is conveyed in contact with the liner while passing down the back, forwardly under the bottom, up both sides, and over the top of the food liner to the rear thereof, whereupon it again contacts the cooling element, said cooling element and duct being so formed that air passing over the cooling element from the rear of the food liner is conveyed first over the outside surfaces of the cooling element and then over the insidesurfaces of the cooling element to the air circulating means.

THEODORE W. RUNDELL. 

